"Life under Soviet rule was far less strenuous than many would...

"Life under Soviet rule was far less strenuous than many would believe"

You've got to be kidding! Maybe it was great if you were one of the 'good' comrades! Maybe they got food and shelter during the mass starvations during the USSR days!

Socialism (which includes Communism & Facism), both in economic theory (read some Mises or Hayek) and historical practice (USSR for just one shining example), cannot and does not work - and it really bothers me that so many people seem to think otherwise. And I would argue that westerners ARE rich relative to many of the poor sods living in ex-soviet countries. Freedom and capitalism did make the US (in particular) and the west wealthy and raised living standards. But those individual freedoms and freemarket/capitalist ways have been eroded greatly over the last few decades - the US is really just living the high life on borrowed time, and really from the success/work of the past generations (a bit like wasting an inheritance really). The US is a sinking ship and corporatism has long since replaced capitalism there for all intents & purposes.

The 'bright spot' (for us here that hold KGL anyway) is that these shifting sands, IMO, will continue to shift the POG much higher as the $US sinks to a value that reflects fundamentals, and individuals & countries alike flee to alternatives..

And hopefully KGL will indeed do plenty of good for the locals and the country within which they conduct their business (of course, through open negoiation, voluntary contracts, + voluntary charity and goodwill - not through any nationalisation of resources!). And of course hopefully some good for us shareholders too :)

Sorry if I got off track :) I'll move on now.
Cheers
Ben